Cessna 150J accident near Caney, Oklahoma, May 18, 1991
On May 18, 1991 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150J, registered N1019M, was destroyed in an accident near Caney, Oklahoma. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
BINDING OF THE #2 EXHAUST VALVE (STUCK VALVE), AND FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT STALL. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: THE FAILED EXHAUST MANIFOLD GASKET.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 18, 1991 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Caney, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150J · all 150Js on the register
- Registration
- N1019M · registry record · serial 15070999
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT & PASSENGER WERE PARTICIPATING IN AN ACTIVITY TO COMPETE IN DROPPING PAPER SACKS OF FLOWER IN A CIRCLE ON THE GROUND AT A FLY-IN. AFTER THE PLT HAD JUST COMPLETED A LOW PASS, WITNESSES NOTED THE ENG BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH, THEN THE ACFT DESCENDED & CRASHED. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THE ACFT HAD IMPACTED IN A STEEP DESCENT. THE PROP BLADES WERE EQUALLY DISTORTED & BOTH BLADES CONTAINED ROTATIONAL SCUFF MARKS. A TEARDOWN OF THE ENG REVEALED THE #2 CYLINDER HAD A BLOWN EXHAUST MANIFOLD GASKET & THAT ITS RESPECTIVE EXHAUST VALVE WAS STUCK. ALSO, HEAT DAMAGE WAS NOTED ON THE #4 CYLINDER, DUE TO ESCAPING EXHAUST GASES.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 80 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 29 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bestway Aviation #2
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:51 pm from MLC, 80 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.